To Make You Feel My Love
by Conn8d
Summary: Jackson, April, and their family on Valentine's Day. Time changes lots of things, but not the way they love each other. Follow up to Days in December, All That You Have and Ripple Effect. Very AU.


**A/N: Hello again guys! I don't know why, but here we are at another holiday and I've written another Japril familyverse story to go along with it. This is starting to look disturbingly like a habit. I just couldn't resist popping in to check on them. This is pretty much pure fluff for Valentine's Day. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review let me know what you think! **

* * *

April stood in the bedroom mirror, carefully turning to each side and examining her appearance. She was wearing a simple black skirt with a cream top and floral sweater. Nothing too flashy, but a step up from her normal evening at home get up.

It wasn't every night she got a chance to go out _alone_ with Jackson anymore. And, while she knew she wasn't as young and pretty as she used to be, April still wanted to dress up for her husband. Plus it was Valentine's Day.

Riley and Hannah were behind her, sprawled out on the big bed, playing around and watching their mother intently. Zootsuit the cat purred loudly, curled up on Jackson's pillow at the head of the bed.

Using the mirror to catch the eyes her daughters, April held her arms out and shrugged expectantly.

"So? What do you think?"

Hannah looked up from her doll, and grinned, showing off the gap created by her newly missing front teeth, "It looks pretty, Mama!"

"Yes," Riley agreed, pulling her long legs beneath her and kneeling up on the bed watching April quizzically. "It is pretty...but does it have sex appeal?"

Uh oh.

The words were barely out of the child's mouth before April spun around to face the girls with a quirked eyebrow, "What do you know about sex appeal?"

Giggling uncontrollably, Hannah provided no reply, only flopping forward on the couch in a dramatic flourish. Mewling, Zooty rolled over abruptly, and narrowly avoided getting accidentally kicked by a tiny foot.

Riley chewed the inside of her cheeks and shrugged, like the whole concept of 'sex appeal' was no big deal, "Only what Gramma says."

Internally, April sighed. She might have known. She loved her mother in law. She really did. Catherine Avery was a wonderful parent and grandparent, and in the past year alone, had gone out of her way to make April feel loved and comforted in light of the recent losses of both her parents. Catherine was a wonderful person.

But sometimes she was a loose canon and was never afraid to say _anything._ April knew that Catherine had the children's best interest at heart, but this was a little worrying. Jackson and April were sharing things with their children at their own pace, and grandmother or not, Catherine shouldn't interfere.

Trying to hide her irritation, April asked, "What exactly does Gramma say?"

The kids knew the basics about sex. They knew that their siblings and cousins hadn't just magically shown up out of nowhere. They knew where babies came from at least in biological terms. In fact, with two surgeons are parents, April thought it was fair to say that all four of her children probably had a better scientific understanding of sex and reproduction than anything else.

Conner obviously as the eldest, knew the most, having had health classes, biology classes, one or two deeply uncomfortable conversations with his mother, and a series of presumably more comfortable ongoing conversations with his father.

Riley's class had their fourth grade meeting about 'body changes' in the fall, and both April and Jackson were starting to talk more in depth to her. Though, she always brushed them off with copious amounts blushing, and exasperated exclamations of "I _know_!", "Gross!", or "Newsflash, I can read." At the same time, Riley reminded April a lot of herself at the same age. Knowledgeable, but very flustered.

Hannah and Simon were still largely in the dark. And April for the time being, wanted to keep it that way. They were only seven and five after all. Then again, she could be overreacting. It had taken April a long time to become comfortable talking about things like sex. And talking to her kids about it, while necessary, was hard enough for April already without having to do Gramma related damage control.

The older girl shrugged,"Well, she mostly said what stuff didn't have sex appeal. We went with her to the mall and she need to buy shirts but she wouldn't get some because they weren't spicy enough."

"Yep," Hannah nodded. "Gotta be spicy!"

Spicy? Oh, brother.

Suspiciously, April perched on the corner of the bed and asked, "So, what do you think sex appeal is?"

Riley opened her mouth to speak, but Hannah beat her to it, replying sincerely, "Shiny earrings. Shirts and stuff with red on them."

Frowning when she realized her mother's sweater didn't have any red, Hannah quickly added, "Red and sometimes flowers. That's why yours is okay. It has flowers. Very spicy. Daddy will like that."

The explanation made April laugh. Her sweet Hannah thought sex appeal was clothing with red on it. Or flowers. Earrings. Maybe she really was overreacting.

"Well, it's not that simple," Riley added. "But it's got to do with the colors and how appealing they are. Like peacocks use their feathers to attract mates. Pheromones and stuff. Only guy peacocks to it instead...but it's the same thing."

Hannah wrinkled her forehead, "Pharaoh's moans?"

Riley's understanding was a little more nuanced but still rudimentary. What a relief. It was clear that, while Catherine had used particular phrases in front of the girls, but she had not crossed the line.

"You are right about it not being that simple," April said, standing up again and grabbing a bottle of perfume from her dresser. Sometime soon, I guess we're going to have to have another talk about-"

"I know, I know," Riley moaned. "Can't I just google it? Talks are so awkward, Mom."

"Maybe so, but they still have to happen. Google can't tell you everything," April placated, lifting the bottle to her wrists and spritzing a little of the scented liquid on. Smiling fondly and remembering a ritual her mother always used to do with her and her sisters, whenever Joe and Karen went out, she decided to carry it on.

April turned around, "Do you want to try some?"

"Yes!"

Both the girls faces lit up and they eagerly held out their wrists for a small dose of their mother's grown up perfume. Zootsuit the cat always got very confused and congested when he got too much of a whiff. The feline and perfume did not get along. He'd learned it was a good idea to vacate the premises when ever the fancy bottle came out. As he stood up, hopping off the bed and heading out the door, three small sneezes escaped his nose.

Riley smirked, "Poor Zooty!"

"Bless you!" Hannah called after him as he fled into the hallway. She lifted her wrist to her nose and grinned, "I smell grown up!"

April laughed and wrapped her arms tightly around both her daughters, "That you do. But please don't get too grown up just yet. Mommy needs time to catch up!"

Hannah and Riley both laughed, and after a little snuggle, April ushered the little girls off the bed, "Okay guys, Daddy and I need to get going. Be good girls and promise to listen to your brother tonight."

Riley sighed, "Okay..."

April smiled to herself and grabbed her purse before heading downstairs. She didn't want to be late to her Valentine's date.

* * *

Jackson adjusted the yellow flower magnet on the fridge making sure that it didn't cover up any of the colorful scribble that adorned the red hard-shaped construction paper Valentine it held up. It was tricky because the scribbles were everywhere, nearly obscuring the neatly sharpied "To: Simon, From: Lola" in the center of the heart.

Simon stood by his side expectantly, bouncing with proudly as he clutched a small stack of other heart shaped papers. When Jackson adjusted the magnet to his satisfaction he held out another piece of paper.

"This one next, Daddy!"

"How many of these did you get, bud?" Jackson asked, searching for an open space on the refrigerator. The outer white surface was nearly completely obscured by various photographs, lists, and children's artwork. Space was a premium these days.

Hugging the stack of paper to his chest, Simon shouted, "I got _all_ the Valentines! I got one from Mason, and Greta, and Angelina, and Maria and Lola, and Pablo, and Meeci..."

The list went on.

Conner breezed into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the sink and filling it with water, "In kindergarten they _have_ to give Valentine's to the whole class...cuts down on waterworks and no one feels left out. Doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does!" Simon snapped. "My class is all my friends. They _like_ me!"

Ah, to be in kindergarten again.

Conner snorted sarcastically, "Awesome!"

"We're running out of room on the fridge, Simon," Jackson explained, ignoring the older boy's attitude. "You're going to have to pick a only one more to hang up."

"Only one?"

"Only one."

Simon's lip pouted, and he looked at his pile thinking carefully. He shuffled through the papers in his hands. His eyes went wide and he gasped.

He shoved a white paper heart into Jackson's hands, "We have to put up Dexter's! He's my best friend!"

Smiling at his son, Jackson nodded, "Good idea. We can't forget Dexter."

"Yay!" Simon squealing, bouncing up and down as Jackson placed the paper on the fridge. When it was placed to his liking, the child galloped out of the room, holding his arms out like airplane wings, without offering another word.

It was clear that Simon was a little hyper from the candy he no doubt ate at his class's holiday party. At least one of his sons had had fun today. Observing Conner as he leaned against the counter and slowly took a drink, Jackson could tell that the day of love perhaps did not go as well for his older son.

"So," he ventured carefully. "Did you give it to her?"

Conner's forehead wrinkled and he stared at his feet. After a long beat he mumbled, "Yeah."

Jackson had helped the teenager pick out a reasonable enough Valentine's day card for Conner to give to his crush, Mei Grey-Shepherd. They'd been at a sort of stalemate all school year. He liked her, she liked him. Most everyone knew that was a fact. But neither of them had ever really admitted it to the other. Conner had wanted to push things a little bit, and had gotten the idea that a card would be the way to go. He could write down his thoughts in advance.

Jackson had encouraged his son to just go ahead and try talking, but Conner preferred the written route and Jackson had done his best to help. Today was the big day to give the card, and he had the unfortunate feeling that somehow things had not gone his son's way.

"Did she take it?" he pressed, when Conner didn't offer anymore explanation.

"Yeah."

Jackson was struck by how mature his son was beginning to look. In the new year Conner had shot up by a few inches, surpassing his mother and rapidly approaching the point where he would be looking at Jackson eye to eye. He'd made the track team, and beneath his worn jeans and track jacket, Conner was beginning to fill out with lean muscle. The skinny awkward phase was fading away.

Most startling of all, Jackson was beginning to notice hints of hair beginning to show up on Conner's chin and upper lip. Like his own facial hair, he could tell that the stubble was going to come in at a slightly lighter shade than the rest of Conner's dark curls. A trip to the razor aisle was in order soon. If he were a more sentimental man, Jackson might get a little chocked up.

"She took it...that's a good thing, right?"

Conner's hazel eyes met his father's and he looked horrified, "Not really. My hands were shaking, and she took it and then she said she had something for me, and then the bell rang, and we had to go. It was awkward."

The teen hung head in embarrassment, "And I started to sweat. A lot. So I just got out of there."

Jackson sighed sympathetically. That did sound like a bit of a fiasco. Conner was not a smooth operator by any stretch of the imagination. It was funny, because as far as Jackson was concerned Conner had everything going for him in terms of being good with girls in high school. The teen was good looking, funny, in general confident and determined. A lot like Jackson had been at the same age, though perhaps a little more serious. Conner just seemed to have problems around Mei. But the plastic surgeon didn't think all was lost.

"She had something to give you," Jackson reminded Conner. "Did you take it?"

"Well, yeah," the teen dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded unopened envelope. "That's when I noticed I was sweating so much."

Another card, Jackson noted, holding back a smirk as he took in the sweaty finger print stains on the outside. Maybe Mei wasn't any better at this than Conner.

"Why haven't you opened it?"

"Because..." Conner muttered.

"What?"

"Because now it's different," the boy stated more clearly. "Why get my hopes up? No matter what it says she's gonna remember that I am just a gross, sweaty, bumbling mess."

Looking at the envelop pointedly, Jackson shook his head, "You are going to want to read that. Mei's been your friend for years, so trust me, one little sweat incident is not going to ruin anything. And if it does, then she's not worth your time anyway."

Conner rolled his eyes and looked at his father like he was talking crazy. Well, Jackson could understand that. At this age, the person of your affection was the only possible person you could think about, and there was just no way that any failing of theirs could make you see them in a lesser light. It's just how high school could be.

Jackson glanced at his watch as he heard his wife descending the the stairs. He walked over to his son and squeezed the boy's shoulder, "Conner, just...just be brave and read it, okay? Read it, and when you are ready, no matter what it says, give her a call. Or a text. Or...whatever it is you kids are doing these days."

The joke at the end did the trick. Despite his downcast mood, Conner chuckled a little bit.

Jackson nodded and offered one last reassurance, "Whatever happens, it'll be okay."

April breezed into the kitchen, looking as beautiful as ever, with her hair curled, brandishing a list. Jackson smirked and looked her up and down.

"There's my Valentine," he said in the cheesiest voice he could muster, before he turned serious. "You look really nice."

April grinned and seemed to simmer from his praise, "Thank you! I've got my spicy sweater on."

"What?" Jackson tilted his head in confusion, and April shook her head, walking to his side, and running her hand down his shoulder in a way that sent electricity through his body.

It was amazing that even after all these years, a small thing like that still drove Jackson a little crazy. The touch ended all too soon, as April pulled her hand back. He licked his lips and swallowed.

Taking in Jackson's slacks and button down shirt, she bit the corner of her lip and grinned, "You look really nice too, Jackson."

Turning to Conner, April handed him her list, and began quizzing him on his responsibilities for the night, "Now, there is food in the refrigerator. I made chicken pot pie. All you have to do is-"

"Warm it up," Conner replied, rolling his eyes. "I _know_, Mom."

"Simon in bed at 8; make sure he brushes his teeth. Hannah at 8:30; she might need help with her hair. Riley at 9:30; don't let her read for too late. And you need to go at 10:30, even if we're not home yet. It's a school night and I mean it!"

Jackson watched in amusement as his son sighed and agreed, "Okay."

"The number for poison control is on the back of this list. Call us if you need us, and if you can't get through, call your grandmother. If you can't get through to her, call Meredith and Derek. If you can't get them call Alex and-"

Conner groaned, "Right down the list, I got it."

"Unless it is a real emergency, in which case you need to pick up the phone right away and-"

"Dial 911!" Conner snapped. "Duh. I'm not gonna let the little people kill each other or something..."

Wrapping an arm around his wife's waist, Jackson began carefully guiding her to the door, "Come on, Mama! We'll miss our reservation..."

She was always a little bit cagey when it came to leaving the kids. Jackson wanted to night to be a carefree evening, one where they knew the children were okay. He trusted Conner to do a good job. And April did too. She just worried, and Jackson knew she would until she was certain Conner had all of her instructions.

April turned back to Conner once again, "Don't answer the door, under any circumstances!"

"I can handle it, Mom," Conner laughed in exasperation. "It's not like I've had any problems babysitting before!"

"I know," April said fondly, kissing the boy on the cheek. "I just have to check. It makes me feel better."

Jackson couldn't help but add his own teasing instructions, "No driving anywhere. No strippers. And don't burn the house down."

The teen pinched his nose, aware that he was being teased a bit, "I won't."

"Have fun tonight!" Conner called after them as they walked out of the kitchen arm in arm. "Don't be gross..."

As they walked out the front door and down to the car, Jackson nudged April playfully. "We are going to have fun...but I can't promise not to be gross."

April cracked up, throwing her head back in laughter. He loved that sound.

* * *

It felt like April had been laughing all night. She whipped her face with a cloth napkin and grinned at her husband across the table. Jackson had always had the ability to put her at ease and that had not changed after all these years. He'd organized dinner at her favorite restaurant in Ballard, complete with a beautiful rose center piece, candles and a view of the Puget Sound. It was simple, but charming, just what April loved. They'd kind of fallen into an alternating pattern of making Valentine's Day plans. Sometimes they did something more low key, and sometimes they did things like indoor skydiving on Valentine's. Jackson's years were always amazing.

And this year was already by far and a way a marked improvement from their last Valentine's Day. The previous year, they'd just stayed in and watched cheesy romantic comedy with the kids. April had still been reeling from her father's sudden death only weeks previous, and Jackson had understood.

"And then!" Jackson continued with animation. "Karev tries to walk away from the vending machine but his lab coat is caught see? And he steps forward and _rrripp_, the thing splits straight up the back. But he can't feel it, you know? Because the front and the sleeves are fine."

"And you didn't say anything? Poor Alex," April demanded before taking another bite of her delicious dinner.

"I tried!" Jackson laughed. "You can't say _anything_ to Alex Karev."

"That is true..." She'd learned that the hard way over the years.

He struck a slouched pose and imitated their cranky friend, "Whatever, dude...I got my chips!"

April laughter continued, and she felt a thrill of excitement spread through her body as Jackson's feet played against hers under the table.

"So Karev is walking around with his coat all ripped and finally, Dr. Wilson just straight up tells him that it is ripped. But he doesn't buy it because they kind of mess with each other all the time. So he like...tries to turn around and _see_ the rip. But it's behind his back so he ends up spinning around like a dog trying to chase his tail!"

She chuckled heartily, "You're making that up!"

Jackson smirked, and looked at April with such intensity, she needed a gulp of water, "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not..."

As they moved from dinner to desert, and spoke in an easy banter, April realized that it was really nice to be out. Just the two of them. No distractions. April adored her job and their children, she really did, but it was night not to have to worry about any of that for at least a few hours.

At this very moment, there was no need to worry about her residents ability to run the pit or pass their boards. April didn't have to think about the budget cut to her department that she knew was coming down the line since hospital money was being shifted to fund new research into childhood leukemia. She didn't have to worry about Conner's latest track injury, or about Riley's tendency to backtalk, or about Hannah's recent struggles with times tables, or about signing Simon's field trip permission slip. It was all on the back burner of her mind.

Right now she could just sit and enjoy her husband. She loved the way he could make her melt with a single look.

It was moments like this that made April feel acutely aware of just how lucky she was to be married to the man sitting across from her. Growing up, never in a million years, even in her most optimistic day dreams, would April have imagined she'd end up with someone like Jackson.

At best she'd at least hoped to find someone who loved her and didn't eat to many sunflower seeds, like most of the guys she grew up around in Moline. Most people she'd known as a child married high school sweethearts. Only April had never had one of those. But in the end, she'd found Jackson, and he was better than anything her mind could conjure.

"This is really wonderful, Jackson," April said, scooping a piece of cheesecake with her fork and taking a bite.

Jackson shrugged and looked at her seriously, "I figured it might be nice to have something low key but still a bit more fancy than last year..."

"Yeah." Remembering the previous holiday, April agreed. Sweat pants on the couch. Hardly one of their more romantic celebration.

"But hey," Jackson grinned. "I'm happy to spend time with you anywhere, you know that?"

Once, April wouldn't have believed him. For a long time, she hadn't had enough confidence in herself to believe that anyone would ever willingly and voluntarily enjoy spending time with her. There were still plenty more moments of self doubt in her life than April wanted, but Jackson had gone a long way to quelling her insecurity. She always believed him.

"I know," she replied honestly.

They continued to eat in comfortable silence when April, with no preamble, abruptly blurted out, "I love you so much, Jackson."

He had a mouth full of cake in his mouth and it took him a moment to swallow.

"It's the cheesecake isn't it?" Jackson smirked. "You always get more sentimental when we go somewhere that has cheesecake for dessert."

"No I don't!" April sputtered.

"You don't get all romantic this early in the night when there isn't any cheesecake. Remember the Valentine's Day we went to that fondue place?" Jackson teased. "No cheesecake there, and you got car sick on the way home. 'I love you' was not uttered that night as I recall..."

April reached across the table and swatted Jackson's arm, trying to hold back a smile. That was definitely not a banner Valentine's Day.

"The only reason I got so sick was because I was carrying _your_ daughter! Morning sickness 24/7, but did I complain? That should be 'I love you' enough," she scolded.

That year, she'd been three months pregnant with Hannah, tragically bloated and incredibly nauseous. At the same time, she'd really wanted to spend the holiday with her husband. In retrospect perhaps trying 'exotic food' hadn't been the best decision.

"Besides...I was being serious just now!" She was. Maybe she still had a tendency to just blurt out whatever she was thinking as soon as she thought it without too much of a filter, but April had come to terms with that. The habit had burned her in the past, but it didn't stop April from being honest."

Jackson rested his head on his hand and gazed at her across the table, "I know you were, and that is just one of the many things I love about you."

"Smooth recovery," April said sarcastically.

"I am an Avery, I know these things..."

April snorted, holding back laughter, "Don't drag the name of Avery into this. You're just digging a hole..."

Before long they had finished their dessert, and paid for their meal. Sharing pleasant conversation, Jackson and April walked hand in hand down the quaintly lit streets of old Ballard. It wasn't raining, for once and the night was crisp, but not chilly. It was perfect.

Leaning her head against Jackson's shoulder as they approached the car, April asked, "It's not very late. Is it terrible if I say I don't want to go home yet?"

"No," Jackson replied, watching her closely and playing with the fingers of her left hand.

The tension between them was palpable. Going home would be like returning to reality in a way. Leaving the specialness of the moment and returning to the routine of day in and day out. Not that April didn't love the routine. She did. Her family life was everything to her. She just didn't feel like returning to it yet.

After a beat Jackson opened the passenger side door for his wife and letting her hop into the car. "I'm not ready to go home yet either."

When Jackson walked around the car and climbed into the driver's seat, April looked at him expectantly. Jackson seemed to be thinking. After a minute he grinned and turned the key in the ignition, and backed out of their parking space.

"Where are we going to go?"

"I have an idea..."

Something about Jackson's smirk made April feel like she could fly. This was going to be fun.

* * *

"Well...that was great."

Jackson breathed hard as he lay on the backseat of his SUV, with the most beautiful and surprising wife he could ever have imaged curled up against him. Even in the aftermath of what had been a very satisfying, much welcomed, and mostly clothed quickie, Jackson was still in awe. He was still a little shocked that April had gone for it actually. Sure, he'd hoped she would when he drove them to the secluded spot in the park, but hope and certainty are two very different things.

Breathlessly leaning against his chest, April giggled and whispered, "I can't believe we did that..."

Jackson laughed too. It was clear from the tone of his wife's voice that she was just as surprised as he was, "It was your idea."

She batted at his exposed chest playfully before trailing a line of kisses up to his chin, "What did you expect? You drove me to a make out point."

Car sex was never something Jackson would have predicted his wife would ever try. Then again if you'd asked him, he never would have pegged her as a bathroom sex kind of person either, and yet, their second encounter of a carnal nature had in fact occurred in that very location. His wife was much more adventurous than he gave her credit for, Jackson admitted.

It was a good thing they'd gotten this SUV, Jackson decided, even if April hadn't exactly wanted to buy it. They'd been sort of backed into a corner when she'd become unexpectedly pregnant with Simon. It was funny. Both the girls had been carefully planned, but their bookend sons had kind taken Jackson and April by surprise. The plan had been to stop and three kids, after Hannah, but God, the universe and Simon had all had other ideas.

Jackson and April didn't mind. Lucky them.

The car situation had been an issue though. April's beloved though aging Prius, a gift for herself for passing boards, was not going anywhere, but it could only hold 5 people total, and Jackson's old SUV also only seated five. She'd been unwilling to part with her car, and she didn't really like most of the larger ones they looked at. Jackson had happily picked a large enough SUV, room for 8 (just in case), equipped with shiny rims and a hybrid engine. The engine had impressed April. The rims had not.

But for their purposes tonight the car had done it's job well. It was roomy enough for them to be fairly comfortable in the back. The windows were tinted enough that neither Jackson nor April lost their nerve. And best of all; hydraulics. He smirked at the thought.

"I suppose," Jackson grinned, brushing April's hair behind her ears so he could get a better view of her face. "'Make out point?' Is that a technical term?"

"You know what I mean...every town's got one."

"Really?"

"In Moline it was out by the old Petersen farm. There was an abandoned field with plenty of overgrown brush. All the rage in high school," April explained. She frowned and added, "Not that anyone ever took me there."

On the one hand, Jackson would always be mad at a lot of April's peers for how they'd treated her in high school. Throughout the course of their relationship, April and her family friends had shared enough memories with him, for Jackson to understand that it had not been an easy time for his wife. Especially with boys. On the other hand, however, that bad experience was part of the reason Jackson got to experience so much with April. So many firsts. He liked that. Being the first and being the only.

"I'm glad they didn't."

"Me too."

April sat up and eyed Jackson suspiciously, "How did you know about this place anyway?"

He'd driven her to a parking lot in a beautiful park in a more nature filled pocket of the Ballard waterfront. It was private and had a beautiful view. Not that they'd wasted much time looking at it, but still.

"Charles Percy," Jackson replied sheepishly.

It's funny what they say about time. Jackson's grandmother had always said that time healed all wounds. In his own life he'd had his fair share of wounds. April too. And while time didn't quite heal things, it did make them less painful. Even after all these years, it hurt to know that their friends were no longer with them, painfully ripped away by the bullets of Gary Clark. But in the 17 odd years that had passed since the shooting, Jackson had found it was easier to talk about Reed and Charles. It was easier to focus on remembering the good times rather than the bad.

April raised her eyebrows, "What on earth were you and Charles Percy doing at a make out point?"

"Nothing shady! Charles grew up in Ballard, remember?" Jackson explained, laughing hard. "When we started at Mercy West he showed me around town. We went to a lot of his youthful hangouts. He never said anything about it being a make out point."

"See? I told you, every town has one," April said triumphantly. A look of panic fell across her face, "Oh my gosh! Do you think Conner knows about this place?"

"Even if he does, I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry much," Jackson replied honestly.

April sat up on Jackson's lap, "Really? I mean, you've been talking to him right? About...relationships and...everything. I've read that ongoing conversation about sex is the most important thing with teenagers and I _know_ I'm not particularly good at talking about it and he's not exactly interested in opening up to me in the first place and-"

Jackson silenced her by placing one finger over her lips, "I've got it covered. We've got a pretty open line of communication going on that front, okay? Believe me...you don't need to worry about stuff like make out points. He's not there yet."

In fact, since Conner seemed to be taking after his mother in the romance respect it could be many years before he got to this point. Jackson hoped not though.

April sighed with relief, "It's just-he's growing up and I just don't know how it is with boys sometimes. The experience of a high school boy is just so...I have _no_ idea..."

"And I have absolutely no idea what it's like to be a 10 year old girl," Jackson reasoned. "Luckily we've got each other covered."

"Yeah..."

They were silent for a moment and Jackson had the chance to refasten his belt buckle, while April slipped back into her sweater and readjusted her skirt. Now that she was sitting up, Jackson had a clear view of his own front. He frowned at what he saw. Where once there was a six pack, now resided a keg.

He didn't quite know what had happened really. Sure he ate well, how could he not? April was an excellent cook. But at the same time, he still exercised regularly. In fact, Jackson felt like he exercised more now than he had in his youth. At least more than he had since he'd been on his college basketball team. And yet, here he was, slowly morphing into tragic, pot bellied old guy. A disastrous cross between his mother and grandfather. People were starting to treat him differently. Patients, people at the grocery store, everywhere.

For the first time in his life, Jackson wasn't always greeted as Mr. Pretty. He knew he was still pretty handsome, but he felt like some of his glory was slipping away. And where once he'd chafed against only being noticed for his looks, he found that he kind of missed being _that_ guy. More than he thought he would.

April didn't miss his frown, "What?"

Jackson self consciously patted his flab, "I'm not what I used to be."

"I'm not complaining," April comforted. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

That was the thing about April. Jackson knew, without a doubt that she'd always appreciated his looks and physique. On more than one occasion over the years, her exact description of his body had been to say that he was 'delicious'. But April had always loved Jackson for himself. For being the person he was on the inside. Not because he was an Avery. And not because he was gorgeous.

"Seriously," April continued, gesturing to her thighs and belly. "I'm not what I used to be either."

"You have an excuse," Jackson teased, leaning up to kiss her lips. "You've had four buns in that oven. I just eat too much."

"Hey!" April teased placing her hands on both his cheeks. "You supposed to say 'Honey, I don't know what you are talking about. You don't look fat'."

"I never said you did! I'm just saying I love you the way you are. Especially because you gave me for amazing kids."

"Well," April smirked, punctuating each word with a gentle poke to Jackson's stomach. "Try to remember that I feel exactly the same way about you, Jackson. No matter how many food babies you have. I promise."

They sat up even more and straightened their clothes even more. It was getting late. They should probably go home. As he shifted to climb back into the front seat, Jackson took in the fogged up windows.

"It's like freaking Titanic," he joked, mimicking the movie by dragging his hand dramatically down the back window.

April laughed, "Oh, stop it. I'm never going to be able to think of this car the same way ever again. We should probably get it fumigated or something."

Jackson slid into the front seat and revved the engine, shaking his head, "Now that's just overkill..."

They arrived home, well past 11 to a darkened and quiet house, greeted only by a purring Zootsuit. April knelt down and lifted the happy animal into her arms as Jackson shut the door behind them. Walking past the kitchen, Jackson noted with pride that the dishes from dinner were neatly stacked an in the sink. It looked like Conner had done a good job of managing the house and kids while they'd been gone.

Mostly. Loud snores, which Jackson knew had to be Hannah could be heard in the kitchen. And the sound was much too close to be coming from upstairs.

Jackson and April ventured further in the house finding a faint light coming from the living room. When they entered they found the tv on, quietly playing the final minutes of the 11pm news, with all four of their children passed out on the couch. Letting Zootsuit jump to the floor, April's eyes met Jackson's as she covered her mouth in silent laughter.

It did look like Conner had made the effort to stick to the list. All four of them were clad in pajamas. Simon was sprawled on one side of the couch, holding tightly to his favorite blanket and snuggled up with Riley, who was sound asleep with an open book in her lap. Her head rested on Conner's shoulders, and Hannah was curled up in her brother's lap. Hair half finished. It appeared that Conner had fallen asleep mid comb.

"I would be a little mad," April whispered as she flicked off the television and walked over to carefully lift Simon into her arms. "But this is too cute."

Jackson nodded in agreement and lifted Riley off the couch. She stirred only a little before curling close to his neck and breathing deeply. One by one Jackson and April carried the three youngest children to bed. April roused Conner briefly and guided the sleepy teen to his room.

"So," Jackson asked, when he met April in the hall and closed the door to Hannah's room. "Good Valentine's Day?"

Shutting Conner's door, April smiled, "Excellent."


End file.
